Video: Rob Kane

Insights into Mother City CBD rejuvination

There are many factors in deciding where to locate a corporate headquarters, or where to shift the focus of a commercial property portfolio. Primarily, though, the decision is driven by confidence in the future

In the story of Cape Town’s Central Business District (CBD), that confidence comes in the form of the R4.6 billion invested in by businesses and developers over the past three years.

It’s a far cry from the late 1990s, when the CBD faced an exodus of business because of soaring crime rates, public spaces riddled with litter and illegally dumped waste, and buildings characterised by neglect. The result was plummeting commercial property values and consequently a steep drop in the municipal rate base....